• ■••.<«■ 









.4:^\-— •/'^ 








'^'•- %/ 



r yx/t^' 






o ■ • 



i 



\r . ' • ^ 



cV 



iP H 



G^ 






c^r- 



0' ^*'* ' 



. V ' • 



"•. 



-.r-^c 






^ 

V 



• <^ 



/ «0 



^^/, 






^•*:^v\ 






^' 



V^ 









• V 















'^^ 






^v 



my 



• -^^ . s*- 






?&^ 



'^y^ 



I 



A^'^ /I^^*^-/"^^. .^^ 



> .^''' "'^^ 



G^ « 



<i:. 



• • 






.0 o " 



^'. '%^ <t^ y^-^^*. 



^n^ ,t 









.11' 






^<^^'-.To'-^'^- ^^^""-.•'^O' ^o-*.To»-^^^ -o^ 







o Ay . • *^ 




















O^ a o • • 



? ' • 




A 



'uE 


V'y ! 


TT 


'w _ ■ (m T '^ ; J 








__/ 


\ 






i 










t4i 



1 




yv 



f4 ^ 




Kc M»«ir«,nM. 






'*'/ / 



THE 




CLIITOI MOIUMENT. 



M DCCC XL VIII. 



. * • . 

' > > ) > ■ 
' ' > > > » 






NEW YORK: 



•«-*~-<.4_.«,_ ib^ 



PRINTED FOR THE ASSOCIATION, 



1848, 



c c e c e« 



> c t e» • 
c • « < 



I.' '.« 



e • , • • « 

t e « • • 

c .. t , < 

C C C « t 



£7 3^5 






Tn "t'TOli* 



Coiii'T^te'S tiniv 



Ub. 



i\ E W YORK; 

W I I, I, 1 A M VAN N O R 1) E N , P R I N T E R , 

NO. 311 WIM.IAM BTRKET. 






THE 



CLINTON MONUMENT. 



The erection of monuments to the memory of the illus- 
trious dead is sanctioned by the practice of all nations, in 
every age of the world. The remotest antiquity, and our 
own times ; the rudest barbarism, and the highest civiliza- 
tion, have alike concurred in this homage to departed 
worth. 

The modes in which this universal usa^je has manifested 
itself, have been as various as the different characters 
and conditions of the people, among whom it has pre- 
vailed ; and the character of the monuments erected has 
served to mark the taste, as their erection has to indicate 
the appreciation of merit, of the various nations, and suc- 
cessive generations of men. 

The great purposes of this universal practice, like the 
motives which have induced it, are twofold — to commem- 
orate high virtues and distinguished services ; and, in so 
doing, to encourage their repetition. In this double as- 
pect, of justice to the dead, and encouragement to the 
living, consists the motive, and the high moral influence, 
of the practice in question. 

To preserve this favorable influence, and assure its 
legitimate fruits, great wisdom, and a just discrimination 
should be exercised in the practice itself, both in the se- 
lection of the persons to whom it is applied, and of the 
virtues and services it is intended to commemorate. The 






4 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

■'former 3t^oul4 be ofsuch universally conceded excellence, 
'' and tlie* Matter of such acknowledged merit, as at once 
to commend them to the public admiration and grati- 
tude, and thereby justif}^ their monumental commemora- 
tion. 

Few men have lived in our own, or any other country, 
whose character and services come more fully within the 
scope and spirit of the above general remark, than those 
of De Witt Clintox. Few men have impressed them- 
selves more strongly upon the age in which they lived, 
or have left behind them more enduring memorials of 
public usefulness, than this distinguislied statesman and 
public benefactor. The services of few men have been 
so early and so clearly apparent in tlie advancement of 
great public interests; or their fruits so widely diffused, 
or so universally acknowledged. Justice, that often 
comes late to public men and public services, has long 
since reached the memory of Clinton. The asperities of 
political or party feeling, from the effects of which few 
public men are wholly exempt, and which often, for a 
time, derange the even scales of justice, have, in regard 
to Clinton, like the evanescent vapour, already passed 
away ; while the recollection of his great public services 
remains deeply engraved upon the public admiration and 
gratitude. Time will serve onty to deepen these just 
public sentiments. 

While, therefore, the public services of Clinton will 
ever form the best and most enduring basis of his fame, 
there has long been, in the public mind, an increasing 
opinion that some public monument to his memory was 
due alike to his character and services, and to the public 
sense entertained of them. This has, at lenirth, led to the 
formation of an Association for the accomplishment of this 
public object. Tliis Association and its undertaking have 
received the sanction of the Legislature of the State, by 
the granting to it of an act of incorporation, and naming 



THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 5 

tlierein a board of trustees for carrying ou:; its purposes. 
That act is as follows : 

" STATE OF NEW YORK. 
" AN AOT TO INCORPORATE THE CLINTO.V MONUMENT ASSO- 
CIATION. PASSED FEBRUARY IItH, 1S43. 

" The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate 
and Assembhj, do enact as folloics : 

" Section 1. William C. Bouck, Luther Brntlish, Wil- 
lard Parker, Herman C. Adams, Sam>uel B. RuG;gles 
and William W. Campbell, of the cit}'^ of New York, 
Eleazcr Lord, of the county of Rockland, Rensselaer 
Bently, of the county of Rensselaer, Daniel Cady, of the 
county of Fulton, WiUiam Parmelee, of the city of Alba- 
ny, Alfred Conkling, of the county of Cayuga, Henry K. 
Smith and Millard FiUmore, of the city of Buffalo, Daniel 
Grouse, of the county of Madison, Malcom Snowden, of 
the county of Westchester, and Oliver Phelps, of the 
county of Ontario, and such other associates as shall sub- 
scribe and pay at least one dollar for the purpose contern- 
plnted in this act, shall be and are hereby constituted a 
body corporate, by the name of The Clinton Monument 
Association of the State of New York, to erect a monu- 
ment to the memory of De Witt Clinton, late Governor 
of this state, and as such shall have the powers, and be 
subject to the conditions, so far as applicable, contained in 
title three of chapter eighteen of part first of the Revised 
Statutes. 

" Sec. 2. The persons named in the first section of this 
act, shall be the first trustees of the said Clinton Monu- 
ment Association hereby created, and shall hold their 
offices until and including the first day of January, one 
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, and until others 
shall be chosen in their places. The said trustees may 
be divided into classes, and may consist of such members, 



6 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

and be elected at such times and places, and in such 
manner, as shall be provided by the By-laws of said asso- 
ciation. 

" Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of the trustees to meet 
at the city hall, in the city of New York, or a majority of 
them, within thirty days after the passage of this act, and 
elect by ballot a president and vice-president, a treasurer 
and secretary of the association, who shall hold their 
offices respectively until the first day of January, one 
thousaud eight hundred and forty-nine, and until others 
shall be chosen in their places. Five of the trustees, at 
a meeting duly notified, shall be a quorum for the trans- 
action of business ; vacancies occasioned by death, resig- 
nation or otherwise, of the trustees named in this act, 
may be filled by the board. 

" Sec. 4. The treasurer of the association shall give 
security in such manner-as the tiustees shall determine, 
for the faithful performance of his duties; the trustees 
may appoint a general agent for the purpose of collecting 
subscriptions and donations for the purpose of carrying 
into effect the objects of this association ; said general 
agent to have power to appoint other agents for the like 
purposes, by the advice and consent of the president and 
secretary of said association. All moneys which shall be 
subscribed and collected for the purpose of erecting such 
monument, shall be paid over to the treasurer, or depo- 
sited in some bank in this state to his cr6<.lit, and certi- 
ficates of deposites forwarded to him from time to time, 
and as often as once in sixty days ; and as often as once 
in three months a statement, verified by his oath or affir- 
mation, shall be made by the treasurer to the board of 
trustees through their president, of all the moneys which 
have been received by him, and of all the persons from 
whom, and the persons by whom the same were collect- 
ed ; and also a statement, verifietl in like manner, of all 
the moneys which shall have been paid over by him, speci- 
fying to whom the same were paid, and for what purpose. 



THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 7 

He shall pay over no moneys but by the direction of the 
trustees, on the written order of the general agent, coun- 
tersigned by the secretary, and accompanied by vouch- 
ers duly audited and certified. The book to be kept by 
him shall be at all times open for the inspection of the 
trustees, and of any and every subscriber and donor to 
the funds of the Association. 

" Sec. 5. It shall be the duty of the secretary to record 
the acts and proceedings of the trustees, to keep a regis- 
ter of the names of every subscriber and donor to the 
funds of the association, the place of his residence, the 
amount of his subscription, and the day on which the 
same was paid over to the treasurer ; which register shall 
be open to the inspection of the members of the Associa- 
tion, and sfiall be published by the trustees in some pub- 
lic newspaper, and in such manner as they shall deter- 
mine. 

" Sec. 6. The trustees shall commence the erection of 
said monument as soon as practicable after the sum of 
ten thousand dollars shall have been collected and 
deposited in the treasurer's hands ; but no contract or 
engagement shall be entered into by the trustees involv- 
ing the expenditure of money, until ten thousand dollars 
is collected and deposited as aforesaid ; nor shall any 
contract at any time be made involving an expenditure of 
money, beyond the amount actually deposited in the 
treasurer's hands, without the personal liability of said 
trustees. 

" Sec. 7. The said monument shall be erected on such 
site, in the state of New York, as the said trustees shall 
think most suitable to carry out the objects intended bj-- 
this act, and by the erection of such monument. 

" Sec. S. This act shall take eflfect immediately." 

Under the foregoing legislative act, the Association it 
incorporates was, at a meeting held at the City Hall, in 
the city of New York, on the 8th day of March, 1848, duly 



8 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

organized, b\' the election of William C. Bouck, as Presi- 
dent, Daniel Cady, as Vice-President, Samuel B. Rug- 
gles, as Treasurer, and William W. Campbell, as Sec- 
retary. The Association thus incorporated, and thus or- 
ganized, assumed the responsibilities, and entered upon a 
discharge of the duties of tlieir important trust. 

To secure greater regularity in the transactions of the 
Board of Trustees, and render more orderly its proceed- 
ings, the Trustees, at a meeting held at the City Hall of 
the cit}^ of New York, on the 19th of April, 1S48, adopted 
a code of by-laws. On the 30th of May, 1S4S, the Trus- 
tees met at the Capitol, in the city of Albany ; and, after 
transacting other business, appointed a special Commit- 
tee, consisting of Luther Bradish of New York, Millard 
Fillmore of Buffiilo, and William Parmelee of Albany, "to 
ascertain the probable expense of a suitable monument 
to be erected to the memory of De Witt Clinton ; and the 
form and material for such monument ; and whether the 
relatives of the deceased would consent to the removal of 
his remains to the place selected for such monument; and 
where, and on what terms, suitable land could be obtained 
for the erection of the same ; and to report thereon to the 
next meeting." 

The Special Committee, in performance of the duty thus 
devolved upon them, addressed to Charles A. Clinton, 
Esq., the following letter: 

" New York, July 15th, 1848. 

" Chaules a. Cltntox, Esq. 

'• Dear Sir, — At the late session of the Legislature of 
this State, an Association, consisting of William C. Bouck, 
Luther Bradish, Willard Parker, Herman C. Adams, 
Samuel B-Ruggles, William W. Campbell, Eleazer Lord, 
Rensselaer Bentley, Daniel Cady, William Parmelee, 
Alfred Conkling, Henry K. Smith, 3Iillard Fillmore, 
Daniel Crouse, Malcom Snowden and Oliver Phelps, was 
incorporated, with ample powers, for the purpose of erect- 



THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 9 

ing a monument to the memory of your distinguished 
father, De Witt Clinton, late Governor of iliis State. 
Uiider this Act, tlie Association it incorporated has been 
duly organized, and the persohs above named constitut- 
ed, by the Act itself, the lirst Trustees. 

" At a regular meeting of the Trustees, held at the 
Capitol in the city of Albany, on the 30th of May last, 
the undersigned were appointed a committee ' to ascer- 
tain the probable expense of a suitable monument to be 
erected to the memory of De Witt Clinton ; and the form 
and material for such monument; and whether the rela- 
tives of the deceased would consent to the removal of the 
remains to the place selected for such monument ; and 
where, and on what terms, suitable land could be obtained 
for the erection of the same ; and to report thereon to the 
next meeting.' 

" In performance of the duty thus devolved upon the 
committee, the undersigned now take the liberty of [ad- 
dressing you this communication, and beg you will have 
the goodness to submit it to your family, and obtain and 
transmit to us their and your own decision upon its sub- 
ject, to the end that we may, in further discharge of our 
duty, report the same to our constituents at their next 
meeting, at the Capitol in the city of Albany, on the 
second Tuesday (the 8th) of August next. 

" As the decision of your family, upon the subject here- 
in referred to them, may be, in some degree, influenced 
by the character, the location, and the probable completion of 
the proposed monument, the undersigned take occasion to 
submit a few remarks upon these several points. 

" As reirards the first two, the character and location of 
the raonilment, these must necessarily depend, in a great 
measure, upon the consent of your family to the removal 
of the remains to the location of the monument ; for if the 
monument is to cover or contain the remains, then it 
should be sepulchral in its character, and its location some 
public cemetery. If on the contiary, that consent be 



10 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

withheld, and the monument consequently is not to cover 
or contain the remains, then it would seem that the monu- 
ment should necessarily be cic'/c in its character, and its 
location some public place or square, cither at the capital 
or in some other prominent city of the State. But in 
either case, it is the design of the Assoc;ation, that the 
monument shall be worthy its subject, and becoming the 
State. 

"As regards the probable complctioii of the proposed 
monument, the undersigned would simply remark, as has 
been elsewhere observed, that the obhgation to erect such 
a monument is becoming daily more strongly felt by the 
people of this great commonwealth, as they more and more 
experience the countless blessings, and increasing pros- 
perity diffused throughout its ample borders, and which 
flow as a legitimate consequence, and are gathered, in a 
great degree, as the precious fruits, of the early and sa- 
gacious forecast, the practical wisdom, and indomitable 
energy of the eminently enlightened and patriotic states- 
man to whose memory the monument is proposed to be 
erected : and although these fruits of his wisdom and 
public services will ever form a monument more fresh 
and enduring than brass or marble, yet as a visible ex- 
pression of the sense entertained by the public of that 
wisdom, and of those services, a monument to his memory 
such as is now* proposed, is universally felt to be as fitting 
and proper, as its future erection is believed to be cer- 
tain. 

" Relying upon the strength and universal prevalence 
of this public sentiment, the undersigned cannot doubt 
that it will lead the people of this state, with alacrity, to 
afford the Association all the co-operation and aid neces- 
sary for the early and full accomplishment of their object ; 
and that that object therefore will have its consummation so 
soon as maybe consistent with the nature and magnitude 
of the work itself. To this end, by the acceptance of the 
act of incorporation, and the organization under it, the 



THE CLINTON MONUMENT. H 

good faith and character of the Ass6cialion stand pledged 
to the public, and will, wc trust, be faithfully redeemed. 
*'With sentiments of great personal respect and es- 
teem, we remain, dear sir, 

Your obd't servl's, 

L. B RADISH, ) 

W.^r. PAKMKI.EE, } Committee:' 

MILLARD FILLMORE, ) 

The Committee also, by advertisement published in 
several newspapers in various parts of the State, invited 
offers of sites, and designs for the proposed monument, 
the latter to be accompanied by specifications of dimen- 
sions and material, and estimates of cost. Several offers 
of sites and designs for the proposed monument were in 
consequence received by the Committee, and all duly re- 
ported to the next meeting of the Board of Trustees, held 
at the Capitol, in the city of Albany, on the Sth of Au- 
gust, 1S4S. 

At that meeting, among other business transacted, the 
Special Committee, appointed on the 30th of May preced- 
ing, was continued ; and was directed to present to the 
Board, at its next meeting, "A report setting forth the 
considerations, which occurred to them, in favor of the 
erection of a civic, and those also in favor of a sepulchral 
monument; and such suggestions relating to the selection 
of a site appropriate to the respective styles of monu- 
ment, and such information relating to particular loca- 
tions, a^ should appear to them of importance." 

On the 20th of October, 1S48, the Committee received 
from Charles A. Clinton, Esquire, in answer to the let- 
ter addsessed to him by the committee on the l-5th of 
July, 1S4S, the following letter : 

" New York, October 19, 1S4S. 
" Gentlemen : On my return to the city a few days 
since, after an absence of some months, I had the honor 



12 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

to receive j^our letter dated July 15, 1S48, and take the 
earliest opportunity of acknowledging it. 

It is hardly necessary for me to say how grateful to my 
feelings are your intentions in reference to the memory of 
my father ; and how sensibly I am touched by the kind 
and friendly terms in which you have communicated 
them to me. 

It might be indelicate in me to refer to the essential 
services rendered to our State by my father, or to the 
great personal sacrifices that he made to the pubhc inter- 
ests. This is matter of history, and if his fellow citizens 
respect and honor his memory, it is the highest proof of 
his merit: and whatever posthumous honors they may 
pay to his name will be regarded, by all, as the impartial 
judgment of posterity, after so many years have elapsed 
since his death. 

In reference to the removal of his remains, it is my 
duty to say that it would not be agreeable to the feelings 
of his family ; and although we appreciate the kind and 
generous intentions of your Association, it would be most 
painful to us to consent to a change of his present resting 

place. 

Allow me to express my sincere regret that I did not 
receive your communication at an earlier day, and that 
my answer to it has been unavoidably postponed to the 
present time. 

With great respect and esteem, 

I am, gentlemen, your sincere friend, 

and obedient servant, 

C. A. CLINTON." 
Hon. L. B RADISH, Hon. Millard Fillmore, and Hon. 
William Parmelee, Committee. 

On the 26th of October, 1S4S, the Committee received, 
from James Renwick, junior, Esq., of New York, three de- 
sio-ns for the proposed monument, accompanied by speci- 
fications of dimensions and material, and estimates of 



THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 13 

cost. Of these three designs one was an obehsk and 
colossal statue, one a single, nnd one a triple triumphal 
arch. All these were duly reported to the Board of Trus- 
tees at its next meeting, which was held at the City Hall 
of the city of New York, on the 27th of October, 184S. 

At that meeting the Special Committee, appointed in 
Mav, and continued in August preceding, submitted to 
the Board the following report : 

"The Special Committee, appointed in May last, in 
relation to the character, and location of the monument 
proposed to be erected to the memory of De Witt Clin- 
ton, was continued by resolution of the Board, at its 
meeting in August. By the terms of the resolution con- 
tinuing the committee, they were directed to present to 
the Board at its next meeting, ' A report setting forth the 
considerations which occurred to them, in favor of the 
erection of a civic., and those also in favor of a sejmlchral 
monument ; and such suggestions relating to the selec- 
tion of a site appropriate to the respective styles of monu- 
ment, and such information relating to particular loca- 
tions, as should appear to them of importance.' 

" The Committee, in the exercise of their continued 
powers, and in performance of the new duties thus de- 
volved upon them, now respectfully submit to the Board, 



the following 



REPORT: 



" On the SOth'of October instant, the Committee received 
from Charles A. Clinton, Esquire, an answer to the com- 
munication which, by direction of the Board, they ad- 
dressed to that gentleman, on the 15th ot July last, inquir- 
ing the pleasure of the family of the deceased, as to the 
removal of his remains from their present resting place, 
to the location of the monument, proposed to be erected 
to his memory. 



14 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

" Mr. Clinton's letter accompanies this report. B\' this 
letter it will be perceived that the family of the deceased 
do not yield their consent to the removal of his remains 
from their present resting place in Greenwood Cemete^^^ 
Although notice of this decision of the family of the de- 
ceased was not received by the Committee until after 
their report had been prepared, yet in the judgment of 
the committee, this decision does not, in any respect, 
change the views or the conclusions presented in the re- 
port: on the contrary, it furnishes an additional argument 
in their favor, and a new reason for their adoption : In- 
deed, independent of other sufficient considerations, it 
would seem, to the Committee, to be conclusive as to the 
character, and, of course, the location too, of the monument 
in question. 

"The Committee have not received anv further offers of 
sites, or plans and estimates of cost for the proposed monu- 
ment, in addition to those already reported to the Board at 
its meeting in August last; except three designs, with 
specifications of dimensions and material, and estimates of 
cost, presented by James Renwick, Jun., Esq., qf New 
York. These designs, with their accompanying specifica- 
tions and estimates, arc submitted to the BoJird, with 
this report. 

"In regard to the other matters referred to theCommit- 
mittee, as they involve mainly questions of individual 
taste, and the expression oPindividual opinion, upon facts 
as fully before the Board generally, as they are within 
the knowledge of the Committee, the Committee would 
perhaps act most discreetly by abstaining from any pre- 
liminary expression of their own opinions, simply refer- 
ring themselves to the decision of the Board upon all 
these points. But inasmuch 'as the Board has referred 
these matters to the Committee, and made it their duty 
to present a report thereon at its present meeting, the 
Committee will proceed to discharge this dut}'' in such 
manner as the little opportunity afforded them for con- 



THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 15 

sultation, research, or consideration upon these several 
interesting subjects, may have enabled them to do.' 

The views of the Committee, in regard to tlie character 
and location of tlie proposed monument, have been already 
partially expressed in their communication above referred 
to of July 15th, 1S4S, addressed, by direction of the 
Board, to Charles A. Clinton, Esq., and reported to the 
Board at its meeting in August last. To those views, the 
■Committee still adhere ; and they, therefore, beg leave to 
refer to them, so far as they go, for their present opinions 
upon the subject. 

The Committee suppose the object of the contemplated 
monument to be to commemorate the public services, 
rather than the private virtues, of the distinguished de- 
ceased, to whose memory it is proposed to be erected : 
It is to De Witt Clinton as a public man, a statesman, and 
a public benefactor ; and not to him as an in dividual, 
however distinguished as such, that this monument is to 
be erected : and even in this, such a monument is demand- 
ed not so much to perpetuate the public services of Clin- 
ton, as to present to the world a visible manifestation of 
the public sense entertained of them. 

Those services require no such monument to perpetuate 
their memory. They, with their widely diffused, and 
now universally acknowledged fruits, will continue to live, 
in more than their original freshness, long after the monu- 
ment, erected to their memory, shall have crumbled into 
dust, and its fragments have become mingled and lost 
among the ruins of the forgotten past. Indeed, the pro- 
gress of time, that witnesses the perishable nature, and 
gradual delapidations of the monument, will furnish new 
proofs of their value, and stamp an imperishable charac- 
ter of immortality upon the services, that monument would 
commemorate. 

If such then be the object of the proposed monument, 

if it is to the public services of the statesman, rather than 
to the private virtues of the individual, that the monument 



16 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

is to be erected, this would seem to indicate that its clta- 
racter should be civic, rather than sepulchral ; and its loca- 
tion some public place, and not a cemetery. 

It is true that, among the ancients, the sepulchral form 
was sometimes, although rarely, given to civic monu- 
ments ; and the mausoleum served at once to cover or 
enclose the remains, and to commemorate the services, of 
the illustrious and honored dead. Such were the tombs 
of the Persian kings at Persepolis, those of the Phara- 
ohs at Thebes, the Pyramids of Egypt, the monument 
erected by Artemisia to the memory of her royal hus- 
band, Mausolus, and which became the generic name 
for others of corresponding magnificence : Such, too, 
were the tombs of Augustus, of the Scipios, of Caius 
Cestus, and that of Adrian, now the castle of St. An- 
gelo, at Rome, with many others. But these, generally, 
were erected by the individuals, or the families, whose 
names they respectively commemorate ; and were the 
visible manifestations of personal vanity, or of individual 
ambition, rather than the free offerings, and voluntary 
monuments of a nation's admiration and gratitude. 

Amonii the more modern civic monuments, few are 
sepulchral, either in their character or location. They 
are generally, in their style, artistic or architectural ; 
and, in tlieir location, they occupy some public place. 
Such arc the columns of Trajan and Antoninus at Rome ; 
the arch of the Simplon, or arc de la Paix, at Milan ; and 
that de I'Etoile at Paris. Such, too, is the magnificent 
monument to Peter the Great, of Russi;i, in the principal 
square at St. Petersburgh : Such, also, is the Nelson 
monument in London; the column of Austeilitz in Paris ; 
the monument to Borromeo at Arena, in Italy ; that to 
Joan of Arc, at Orleans, in France ; and that to Brock, 
in Canada. Such, too, is our own noble monument of 
Bunker's Hill ; and those to Washington, in Baltimore 
and Washington city. 

It is true that some of these monuments commemorate 



THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 17 

events, as well n.^ persons; but then ilic chief Interest in 
those events, and of course the leading motive for their 
commemoration, consists in the high virtues they exhibit; 
the patriotic acts and useful services that characterise 
them ; and the great benefits which flow from llu-iii to 
the public. The monuments, therefore, which are erect- 
ed to commemorate those events, serve at once to per- 
joetuate the memory of interesting and important facts, 
and of the persons, identified with them. The very ob- 
ject of these monuments then, would seem to decide their 
character to be civic; and to require that such should be 
their form. That object, with equal clearness and force, 
indicates, as the appropriate location of such monuments, 
some public place, and not a cemetery. 

The cemetery is at once a fitting place for the repose 
of the dead, and an appropriate location for the sepul- 
chral monument to their memory. Here the warmest 
affections of surviving kindred and friendship gather; 
and, in the monuments they build to the cherished mem- 
oiy of the departed, they seek to commemorate their pri- 
vate virtues, personal qualities, and individual character. 
For this, the tranquil retirement, solemn air, and fitting 
accessaries of the cemetery are most appropriate, and 
most in harmony with individual feeling, and with sur- 
viving and wounded affection. 

But such is not the office, nor such the appropriate 
location, of monuments intended to commemorate the 
public services of public men. Such monuments are the 
visible manifestations, not of private friendship for the 
individual, but of public admiration and gratitude for 
popular talents and public services. They seek to em- 
blazon the services they commemorate, not only as a pub- 
lic expression of the sense entertained of them, but as a 
motive and encouragement to their repetition. They seek 
not, therefore, the tranquil retirement and hallowed still- 
ness of the cemeterj'', but the public place, the thronged 
city, and the busy haunts of men. If this be so, it should 
3 



18 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

determine at once l^oth the character and the location of 
the monument now in question. 

Should the Board concur with the Committee in the 
views above expressed, the field of our present inquiry- 
will be thereby much narrowed. Excluding then, for 
the present, the public cemeteries, in which sites for the 
proposed monument have been most liberally offered, 
the selection of a location for the monument will, of 
course, be limited to the other places proposed. These 
are, Alb'any, Little Falls, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, 
^Lockport, and Buffalo, embracing the whole line of the 
Erie Canal, with its two termini. Each of these points 
has its peculiar advantages, and presents its claim to a 
fair consideration. The Committee, therefore, without 
croinfr into minute detail, will notice, in a general and 
cursory manner, these several sites proposed, with the 
considerations, which immediately suggest themselves, 
in favor of each. 

Albany is one of the termini of the Erie Canal ; is the 
capital of the State ; was the residence of the deceased 
at the time of his death, and the principal scene of those 
public labors, which have illustrated his name, and so 
greatly benefitted the state. It is here, too, that the people's 
representatives come up annually to counsel and legislate 
for the welfare of the commonwealth ; and, as they view 
this monumental expression of public admiration and 
gratitude, might catch from the example this monument 
would commemorate, a noble inspiration in the people's 
service, and in an honorable career of public usefulness. 
Albany, too, is a place of frequent passage and concen- 
trated travel. A monument here, therefore, w^ould meet 
the observation of the numerous persons, citizens and 
stranfrers, who traverse our state in pursuit of either 
business or pleasure. For the purposes of such a monu- 
ment, Albany, by her public authorities, has most liberally 
placed at the disposal of the Association, without reserve, 



THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 19 

n.ny selection for a site that may be made from her pub- 
lic grounds. 

Proceeding westward, the next place proposed is 
X,ittle Falls. Around this spot many considerations of 
great interest cluster. This is the birth place of internal 
improvements by canal, in our state. Here one of the 
first experiments in this great public interest was made. 
Here, too, our great work, the Erie Canal, Which occu- 
pied so largely the mind, and was so efl5ciently promoted 
by the sagacity, wisdom and energy of Clinton, encoun- 
tered, and triumphantly overcame, one of its most formi- 
dable physical obstacles. Its unique and picturesque 
natural scenery would put in advantageous relief the con- 
templated work of art ; while its mountain granite rock, 
of two hundred and fifty feet in height, would ibrm a 
noble base for a noble monument. 

Utica next claims our regard. From her position in the 
great central county of the state ; and her being, in con- 
sequence, a radiant point of many important lines of 
internal communication, by canal, rail-road, and ordinary 
highway, she presents strong claims to consideration. 

Syracuse, although no site for the proposed monument 
has been pubhcly offered by her, yet her position, and the 
peculiar and abounding elements of her future growth 
and prosperity, entitle her to notice, and render her an 
eligible site for a public monument. 

Rochester has taken an early and deep interest in this 
undertaking; and has been most liberal in her action and 
offers in regard to it. Independent of the ground in her 
beautiful cemetery of " Moimt Hojie,^^ which she has placed 
at the disposal of the Association, Rochester, from her 
position, her relation to our internal improvements, and 
lake navigation, as well as from the intelligence, enter- 
prise and public spirit of her citizens, presents an eligible 
sitp for the proposed monument, well deserving the con- 
sideration of the Board. 

The mountain ridge at LocJq^ort, like the Little Falls^ 



20 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

presents another of those formidable natural obstacles, 
which our great work, the Erie Canal, had to encounter, 
and which nothing but untiring eeal, and indomitable 
energy enabled it to overcome. The rocky summit of 
this mountain ridge, the scene of that noble triumph, 
presents a fitting and appropriate site for a monument to 
the memory of Clinton. 

Buffalo brings us to the other terminus of the Erie Ca- 
nal. This queen city of the west not only stands at the 
head of this great work ; but, from this proud position, she 
looks out upon that broad expanse of inland seas, which 
connect her with the boundless and fertile west. It is 
here, to this converging point, that commerce, upon her 
hundred radiant lines, brings the rich productions of that 
vast and fruitful region, and pours them upon the bosom 
of our artificial inland navigation, to be borne to their 
destined market. Buffalo has not only seen the achieve- 
ment of this great work, but, more than at almost any 
other point, she daily, nay hourly, witnesses the impor- 
tant uses it subserves, and the immense objects of public 
good it accomplishes. Where else, then, more adequately 
than here, can the value of this great work be estimated; 
or the merit so duly appreciated of him, who, if he were 
not its original projector, was at any rate, its most efficient 
promoter and steadfast friend. Where then, in these 
respects, so suitable and proper a site for a fitting monu- 
ment to the memory of that distinguished statesman and 
public benefactor? If this beautiful, enterprising and 
rapidly growing city, thus situated, be not unequalled as 
a site for such a monument, she yields only to the other 
terminus of the Canal, the capital of the state. 

Your committee have thus noticed rapidly in succes- 
sion, the several places, which have been proposed as a 
site for the contemplated monument. They have pre- 
sented, in a very general and cursory manner, the pecu- 
liar advantages of each, and have endeavored to do justice 
to all, leaving it to the Board to make such selection as 



THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 21 

in its judgment, shall be most in harmony with the char- 
acter and object, and shall most lully accomplish the 
great purposes of the proposed monument. 

If the Board should not concur with the Committee in 
their views, above expressed, as to the proper chardcter, or 
appropriate location oi i\\e proposed monument, but should 
be of opinion that, whether civic or sepulchral in its style, 
a public cemetery would be its appropriate location, it may 
be proper, and perhaps expected, that the Committee 
should notice the several sites which have been offered in 
such cemeteries. These have been in the Mount Hope 
Cemetery at Rochester, the Rural Cemetery at Albany, 
and the Rockland Cemetery at Piermont. 

The former of these, the Mount Hope Cemetery at Ro- 
chester, presents ground not only favorable in itself, but 
is situated near the junction of the Genessee Valley and 
Erie canals ; commands an extensive view along the 
lines of both, as well as upon Lake Ontario. 

The Rural Cemetery at Albany also presents a site ex- 
ceedingly favorable in itself, and advantageous in its po- 
sition. It commands an extensive view of the Erie canal, 
and overlooks its eastern termination. It is at the capital 
of the State, and would be in the view of many citizens 
and travellers. 

The Rockland Cemetery presents a site in itself almost 
unsurpassed in beauty, and in the extent and richness of 
the view it commands. That view embraces the distant 
ocean, the intermediate waters, and surrounding country 
to a fjreat extent. It is the crownins: summit of a conical 
hill rising from the western bank of the Hudson river, 
near seven hundred feet. It commands an extensive 
view of the river, looks down upon the increasing com- 
merce and travel which float upon its bosom, and which 
are, in a great degree, drawn to it through our various 
works of internal communication. It was originally 
within the native county of Chnton ; and is situated at 
the eastern termination of that great work of internal im- 



22 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

provement, the New York and Erie Rail Road. It 
abounds in an excellent building material of stone, which 
together with the site, the Cemetery Company most hber- 
ally offer gratuitously to the Monument Association. It 
is also due, in justice and truth, to this Cemetery Com- 
pany to state, that they were the first, and have continued 
to be among the principal, to move actively in the present 
enterprise of erecting a monument to the memory of 
Clinton. All these circumstances entitle this site to the 
favorable consideration of the Board. 

The Committee have not prepared, and, therefore do 
not now present to the Board, with this report, an esti- 
mate of the relative cost of the proposed monument upon 
the several sites thus offered to the Association ; because, 
wherever the material of construction is not found at or 
near the sites proposed, our works of inter-communication 
will afford such facilities for transporting that material to 
the site, which shall be finally selected, as will render 
all nearly equal in this respect ; and thus the labors of 
Clinton, while they form a solid and enduring basis of his 
fame, will contribute their aid in the erection of the pro- 
posed monument to his memor3\ 

All of which is respectfully submitted. 

L. BRADISH, ) 

MILLARD FILLMORE, } Committee. 
WILLIAM PARMELEE, ) 

October 27, 1S4S. 

The foregoing report was accepted by the Board, and 
the following resolutions thereupon adopted : 

Resolved, That, in the opinion of this Board, tlie monu- 
ment proposed to be erected to the memoiy of De Witt 
Clinton ought, in its style and character, to be civic, rather 
than sepulchral. 

Resolved, That, in ihc o])ini(in of this Board, the loca- 
tion of the monument proposed to be erected to the mem- 

L.cfC. 



THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 23 

ory of De Witt Clinton, ought to be in some public place 
and not in a cemetery. 

Resolved, That in the opinion of this Board, the city of 
Albany, the capital of the State, presents the most eli- 
gible site for the monument proposed to be erected to the 
memory of De Witt Clinton ; and therefore, that it be se- 
lected for that purpose. 

Resolved, That the monument proposed to be erected 
to the memory of De Witt Clinton, be a single, or triple 
triumphal arch, and be located at the head of • State 
street, in the city of Albany, and within the Capitol park, 
provided the assent of the Legislature be first obtained ; 
the precise plan and dimensions of the monument to be 
settled by a committee to be designated by the Board. 

Governor Bouck, Mr. Bradish, Judge Conkllng, INIr. 
Ruggles, and Judge Parmelee, were thereupon constituted 
such committee. 

This committee was authorised to apply to the Legis- 
lature for permission to locate the proposed monument 
upon the public grounds, within the Capitol park. 

Marcus T. Reynolds, Esq., of Alban}^, was unani- 
mousl}^ appointed, by the Board, as the general agent of 
the Association; and it was felt to be a subject of just 
congratulation to the Board and the Public, that in an 
office so important and so essential to the success of the 
enterprise, the Association were to have the benefit of the 
advice and services of one whose position, character, and 
known capacity, render him in every respect, so pecu- 
liarly qualified for an able and successful discharge of the 
duties of this important and responsible office. 

All moneys of the Association were directed to be de- 
posited in the New York State Bank at Albany, to the 
credit of the Treasurer. It was also resolved that no 
contract should, at any time be made, involving the ex- 
penditure of money, beyond the amount then actually in 
the treasury. 

Mr. Campbell having tendered his resignation as Sec- 



24 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

retary of the Association, it was accepted, and Judge 
Parmelee of Albany, was duly elected Secretary to fill 
the vacancy. 

The Board then, after directing this publication, ad- 
journed to the stated meeting at the capitol in the city of 
Albany, in February next. 

The foregoing brief statement presents the motive and 
object of the formation of " The Clinton Monument As- 
sociation," its act of incorporation, its organization under 
that act, and its proceedings down to the present time. 

The members of this Association being themselves 
fully persuaded of the merit of the undertaking in which 
they are thus engaged, they cannot doubt that its object 
will commend itself to the cordial approbation of the 
citizens generally of the state ; and lead to all the co- 
operation and aid, on the part of the public, necessary 
to its early and complete accomplishment. They can- 
not, for a moment, permit themselves to doubt that a 
just appreciation of the Public services of Clinton, an 
ever present and increasing enjoyment of the incalculable 
good those services have procured for the citizens of this 
great Commonwealth, as well as a proper regard for its 
own character, will induce the Public to come forward, 
and with alacrity contribute its effectual aid in the erec- 
tion of a monument to the memory of this distinguished 
public benefactor, which shall be at once worthy its sub- 
ject, and creditable to the State— just to the dead, and 
honorable to the living. 

To that just and generous Public, therefore, the Clinton 
Monument Association earnestly and confidently appeals. 



APPENDIX. 



The Committee, invested by the Board of Trustees 
with the power of determining the form, dimensions, 
materials, and other details of the arch, adopted for the 
monument to be erected to the memoiy of De Witt Clin- 
ton, having selected the single Triumphal Arch, designed 
by James Renwick, Jr., Esq., of New York, they are now 
enabled to present, together with a lithographic print of 
the arch selected, specifications of the dimensions and 
material, and estimates of cost, of the proposed monu- 
ment. These are as follows : 



SPECIFICATIONS AND ESTIMATES. 

" The plan of the Chnton Monument adopted by the 
Association, consists of a single Triumphal Arch sur- 
mounted by a colossal statue of De Witt Clinton. The 
Triumphal Arch is peculiarly fitted for a civic monument ; 
for which purpose it was employed by the ancients in 
preference to almost any other form. 

" These arches were generally placed by them across 
the streets of their great cities, or at the entrance of their 
Fora, or other public places. On their exteriors were 
sculptured the principal actions of the great men whom 
they were intended to commemorate. 
4 



26 THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 

" The plan adopted by the Association cqjisists of a 
single Arch, rising from a flight of steps : the steps to be 
of granite, or the grey limestone of the Mohawk valley, 
which was used in the locks and aqueducts of the grand 
canal. The latter material is to be preferred. The 
whole of the remainder of the monument to be of pure 
white marble, cut in the most perfect manner. 

" The two principal fronts to be finished as follows : 
The shafts of the columns to be composed from the stalks, 
and the capitals from the ears, of the Indian corn. The 
arches to be richly moulded and ornamented with cables, 
beaks heads, and other appropriate ornaments, harmon- 
izing with the style adopted. In the spandrils over the 
arches there are to be four figures of Fame, bearing 
trumpets and wreaths; and over these a richly moulded 
corbel course. 

" The two sides of the structure are to be as follows : 
Two smaller arches are to rise to the height of the spring 
line of the great arches of the fronts ; over these arches, 
and between them and the corbel course, there are to 
be four niches on each face, deeply sunk, in which it is 
proposed to place tablets, having inscribed upon them the 
names of the principal cities, lakes, and rivers, which 
border on, or intersect the canal. 

" The cornice, which is to extend around the whole 
structure, is to be cut with a rich frieze, on which various 
prominent parts of the canal are to be cut in basso-rehevo, 
with canal boats, horses, &c. in alto relievo. 

" On the front of the attic the name of De Witt Clin- 
ton is to be inscribed ; and on the other three sides appro- 
priate inscriptions are to be made. The four corners on 
the top are to be decorated with trophies, composed from 
the arms of the State, and of the cities of New York and 
Albany. In the centre will rise a pyramidal flight of 
steps, which is to be surmounted by a colossal statue of 
Clinton. 

" In the attic there will be a room, lighted Horn the top 



THE CLINTON MONUMENT. 27 

or sides, which may be appropriated lo the preservation 
of models of structures on those public works most con- 
nected with the labors of Clinton. 

•* The estimated expense of this monument is 847,000, 
if constructed of the dimensions following : 

" Steps 56 feet long, 46 feet broad, and 6 feet high : 
Monument 33 feet long, 24 feet wide, 55 feet high to the 
top of the cornice, and 72 feet high to the top of the 
figure. 

" The monument will cost $70,000, if constructed of 
the dimensions following : Steps 63 feet long, 53 feet 
broad, and 7 feet high ; Monument 40 feet long, 30 feet 
wide, 70 feet high to the top of the cornice, and 90 feet 
to the top of the figure. 

" The cost of the Monument will be $93,000, if it be 
of the dimensions following: Steps SO feet long, 66 feet 
broad, and 8 feet in height. Monument 48 feet long, 34 
feet wide, 78 feet high to the top of the cornice, and 102 
feet to the top of the figure. 

JAMES RENWICK, Jr., 

Architect- 



W 73 







^^fOS^* 



V' 







V 



r ,.^" 







• 



'O , k 



/.O^ o • ■ • * 

-A 















.^' ^>«K? 



* .."S. 
















' .. • 



.V 



.-^"^ '/ 



%v^, 



'::o, •• 



:/v^- 









.^' 



' • o. 



^^ *^"^' 






*^ 






. • • • A 






<n7 » .ai«<i_ a 








/ .<e^°*«' 













( 



♦ O 



=^ 









'^• 



























BOOKBINCXNC 



C tjy. 



ti* fj 









% 



